Peter Pan: The Original Story [Paperback]

 

 

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I love this book, but I have to admit that I watched the newest 'Peter Pan' movie, starring Jeremy Sumpter, before I actually read the classic. Although the movie including many exact or related lines right from the novel and most of the same major scenes, I found that, in the movie, there was that 'puppy-love glow' between Peter and Wendy that just made the storyline so much more interesting and sweet. The novel does show some sense of that, but not as much as the movie. The whole idea that Peter tries to hide his feelings for Wendy yet act completely irrisistable at the same time...or at the end when Peter and Hook are fighting and Hook makes him realize that he is incomplete and so on. How the movie focuses on 'feelings' in the individual stages of childhood, youth, and adulthood are most interesting and are well demonstrating in the movie. Now, I love this book very much, but I suppose I was a little disappointed when it did not include such things.

Peter Pan is the timeless classic everyone has grown up to. It has been passed down from generation to generation but it all started with one man, J. M. Barrie. When anyone tells the story of Peter Pan most adults don't think it is suitable for them. They think that it is simply a children's story and always will be. However, Barrie made sure that this story would be appropriate for all ages. Some of the language might be a bit difficult for the youngest range but the context helps to figure out a funny word or two. It appeals to the older range because of the layers it conceals. Behind each game they play is a message. Hidden under each smile Wendy gives to Peter is her hidden kiss. However, this story relates mostly to teenagers as they are going through the stage of growing up. Just days before I read Peter Pan I thought of how nice it would be to be free of homework and school. I thought how wonderful it would be to grow up and be independent. After reading this story, and seeing it exactly how Barrie told it, I don't want to grow up as much as Peter Pan and Wendy don't want to. I first heard the story, from seeing the movie, at a very young age, probably around the time I was 2 or 3. Disney tried hard to incorporate everything from the book but they didn't get every meaning or all the symbolism. For example, Mrs. Darling and Wendy Darling both have a hidden kiss. This kiss is hidden under the right hand corner of their mouths and only their true love can find it. Because Mr. Darling can't find Mrs. Darling's kiss, perhaps Barrie is trying to say that although she loves Mr. Darling dearly, he isn't her true love. Barrie fills his book with the perfect amount of detail and color. Children don't get bored because there is too much and adults don't need any more. At one point in the story, Barrie writes about the adventures at the lagoon. "If you shut your eyes and are a lucky one, you may see at times a shapeless pool of lovely pale colours suspended in the darkness; then if you squeeze your eyes tighter, the pool begins to take shape, and the colours become so vivid that with another squeeze they must go on fire." It is work like this that captures the reader and makes them never put the book down. The action and the drama are another reason such a wide age range is attached to this story. The lost boys go on countless raids and enticing adventures that children can only dream about. The love story between Peter and Wendy thickens throughout the entire book and we don't know till the end whether the Darlings will return home to England or stay in Neverland forever. Barrie does such an incredible job with the characters I felt I had met each one personally. John and Michael are as adorable as ever, Captain Hook as evil, Tinkerbell as envious, Peter as cocky and Wendy as in love. Though the title expresses that the story is about Peter Pan, I think one of Barrie's hidden messages was that it was really Wendy's story. Peter Pan can meet many more pirates and have many more adventures but Wendy only had that one time with him. She could only be his mother, or possibly his only love, once in her life. She was supposed to go back to Neverland every spring to do Peter's spring cleaning but he forgot almost every year. Barrie might have been trying to show how forgetful little boys are. He also might have been trying to show Peter's denial that Wendy might grow up. If Peter didn't go back then Wendy might not grow up. If he didn't go back he wouldn't be reminded that he lost the love of his life. Barrie did a phenomenal job with this story. His ideas make you wonder why we have to grow up and why none of us have ever been able to see Tink's glow, outside of our dreams. This book is suitable for all ages and the only thing that could make it even better were if we could be in the story ourselves.

Anyone who hasn't read this yet is crazy, because it is an amazing book. It's one of those kinds where you can read it over and over again without getting tired of it. There is so much detail and imagination that you get sucked into the story, and in a short amount of time you feel like you are actually in the book. What I especially liked about this story is how it is suitable for both children and adults. Some children may find it a little confusing because of the old language but they will still enjoy it.
Everyone has a first impression of this story; it seems like it's only meant for kids. Except they don't understand that it really isn't. There are so many layers to the story and lessons/morals are hidden throughout the book. Peter Pan has different qualities to it also. There's drama, action, and adventure. I think that kids will especially like the action and adventure while the adults will enjoy the drama more. Even though the story has mainly child characters they act like adults sometimes. Especially Wendy.
I recommend this book for everyone, but mostly girls and boys who are going from the transition from child to adult. Even though everyone will like it anyways teenagers will really be able to relate the what's happening. I found myself relating to Wendy so much that sometimes I felt like I was her! So if you haven't read this book you really should...it will be a classic forever and you should experience the magic it has.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Peter Pan Review.....CMS
Anyone who hasn't read this yet is crazy, because it is an amazing book. It's one of those kinds where you can read it over and over again without getting tired of it. Read more

Published on May 2 2004 by Lorinda Cauley

5.0 out of 5 stars Peter Pan Review by Amanda Meade
(...)

In London lived The Darling Family. There was George Darling, Mrs. Darling, and their three children. They lived in a big house with fenced yard in the front. Read more

Published on April 26 2004 by stephen meade

5.0 out of 5 stars The Boy Who Never Grew Up...
Peter Pan is probably the most famous and beloved boy in the world. Well, how could he not be?
I grew up with the Peter Pan story like may children. Read more

Published on April 17 2004 by BADASSGIRLHEAD

5.0 out of 5 stars Beth's Peter Pan review
Peter Pan Harper Festival, 2003, pp.233, ...
J.M. Barrie ISBN 0-06-056307-9

Wendy, the oldest of Darling children, didn't want to grow up until she met Peter... Read more

Published on Feb 26 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST STORY EVER
If I could give this book 10 stars I would. It's the best story ever! It's a timeless classic that will never grow old much like Peter Pan himself. Read more

Published on Feb 14 2004 by Catlin Ravine

5.0 out of 5 stars A Most spactaculare Book!
I first read this book in 6th grade. Once I got started I just couldn't stop! Peter Pan does not want to grow up and be a man. Read more

Published on Jan 1 2004 by Karina L. Zachary

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites
As a child I wasnt to keen on reading. I avoided it at all costs. I read sparknotes and watched the movie(which is not always the best thing to do) instead of actually reading the... Read more

Published on Dec 29 2003 by Barbara L. Schwendenmann

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